Integrated circuits (ICs) are commonly formed on substrates as individual dies separated by scribe lines. Manufacturing operations often include cutting along the scribe lines to separate the substrate into the individual dies.
To protect ICs from stress-induced cracking during cutting operations, dies containing the ICs often include protective structures. One such structure is a seal ring surrounding an IC along a perimeter of a die. In some cases, a trench structure over some or all of the seal ring acts as a stress buffer for the IC.